Delivery mechanism for printing machines



July 2, 1945- Y J. H. EpwARDs DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Shee; 1

Filed June 11, 1943 Y d f ,W f f f J ff.. y rf l n l \1\, f

July 2,1946. J. H. EDWARDS 2,403,062

DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES y Filed June 11, 1943 v 2 Sheets-Safwfz 2 Patented July 2, 1946 DELIVERY' MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES:

James Henry Edwards, London, England, assigner toV The Goss` Printing Press Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June 11, 1943, Serial N o. 490,404 InGreat BritainJuly 2, I1942 1 claim. 1

, Thisinvention relates to delivery mechanism forprintingandlike machines.

It is an object of.V the present invention to provide means for automatically indicating to the Operator those copies which have. been spoilt` in changing over from one type cylinder of the nonstop unit to the other, so that the operator may readily distinguish spoilt and unspoilt copies and remove the spoilt copies withv certainty.

Another object of. the invention residesin the provision of means by which spoilt copies may be readily distinguished from count copies.

Other objects and advantages of the invention willl be clear from the followingA description, reference beingmade therein` to the annexed drawings.

l AIn, said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a rotary or S, fly, designed for handling newsprint and fitted with one embodimentof spoilt copy indicating means of, this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. l showing in additionv a conventional arrangement for displacing fcount copies;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating, the relative positions on a delivery conveyor leading from the fly ofv unspoilt, spoilty and count copies;

Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating a modied arrangement having means for mechanically introducing a time lag in the operationof the spoilt copy indicating.; means; and

Fig. 5 isa side elevation 0fy another embodiment in which the spoilt copies are Completely sep.,- arated from the unspoilt copies prior to reachintr the, delivery conveyor.

In the use of non-stop printing mechanism such, as is employed in printing machines for adding late news, edition headings or other mat.- ter to newspapers without Stopping the machine, it is usual for such mechanism to include an impression cylinder and two type cylinders or sets of type cylinders either of which may be placed in impression contact with the impression cylinf der while the other is out of impression contact, these two type cylinders or sets of type cylinders being employed alternately when changes are to be made in the late news or other matter and the inoperative type cylinder being stationary in readiness to receive a new plate or plates. During the operation of changing over from one type cylinder or set of type cylinders to the other, which involves relative movement of the type and impression cylinders, some copies are necessarily spoilt and it has hitherto been the practice, in View of the impossibility of deter? mining which of those copies deposited on the delivery-conveyor customarily provided for transferring printed copies from the printingmachine to a stacker are waste copies, for the operator to remove a number of copies from the conveyor belts and examine the pointed portion affected by the change.

In accordance with the invention, a delivery mechanism for printing presses iitted with late news orlike mechanism comprises a rotary or S; fly having stripper means for depositing the copies carried thereby on a delivery conveyor and means operable in timed relation with a change` in the operation in late news or `like mechanism for derlecting the spoilt or waste copies relative to the unspoilt copies.

Deflection of spoilt or waste copies may take the form of an angular offsetting or displacementjf such copies relative to the unspoilt copies onl the delivery conveyor 1eading fromy the y. Alternatively, such deflection may involve the complete separation oi the spoilt from the un#- spoilt copies prior to reaching the delivery conveyor, the spoilt copies-.being defiected ontok a different conveyor from that on which the un'- slloilt copies` are deposited.

The D0i1t Copy: deflecting means may comprise av lever or kicker rockably mounted adjacent the fly and having its free end normally positioned out of the path of the copies on the ily. The lever may be actuated by a solenoid connectedr thereto, the solenoid circuit being automatically closed to move the free end 0f the lever intothe path of the copies in the fly following relative movement between the impression cylinder and the operative type cylinder, and being automatically broken to return the lever to its normal position upon contact being established between the impression cylinder and the other type f cylinder.

In order that all spoilt copies but no unspoilt copies shall' be deflected by the kicker lever, means are preferably provided for introducing a timev lag inthe operation of the solenoid controlling said lever, so that ally unspoilt copies between the printing position and the ily will be unaffected by the lever, thev latter taking up its operative position'only when said unspoilt copies have been discharged from the fly; s imilarly, this time lag is again' operative on completion of' the changeover of the type cylinders, whereby the lever is caused to maintain its operative vposition until all spoilt copies have been discharged from, the ily, the lever then automatically reSumingi-ts inoperativeposition. Pro.- vision isl preferaplyoinade .for varying the time 3 lag in the actuation of the kicker lever in accordance with the speed of the press.

In delivery mechanism for printing machines it is customary .to employ means for counting the printed copies discharged by the fly on to the delivery conveyor, such means usually comprising a kicker lever which is actuated under control of a counting device to displace selected copies, for example, the last copy of each quire, relatively to the other copies. In order that count and spoilt copies when the latter are deposited on the delivery conveyor, may be readily distinguished, it is preferable to arrange the count kicker lever at one side of the fly and the spoilt copy kicker lever at the opposite side,4 the count and spoilt copies thus being deflected in opposite directions. The arrangement is preferably such that the count mechanism is rendered inoperative as long as the spoilt copy means is operative, thereby ensuring that all spoilt copies are automatically eliminated from the count.

Referring now to the drawings and firstly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, a conventional `form of rotary S ily is shown comprising a plurality' of coaxially aligned, spaced discs IIJ secured for rotation therewith on a shaft I I journalled in bearings (not shown) in the press frame. The fly reaches the fixed stop I5, the stop portion I8 being in advance of the said xed stops. Thus, when the count kicker lever is in the operative position the next copy to be deposited by the fly is engaged at one leading corner by the stop por- -tion I8 of the lever I6 and, subsequently, at the Y other leading corner by the xed stop l5 at the is driven at the desired speed from the press 'Y through any suitable gearing including a gear I2 secured to the shaft I I. Each of the discs I has peripherally secured thereto in any appropriate or known manner a plurality of circumferential arcuate blades I3 between which and the discs the copies :c fed to the fly from the folding and severing mechanism of the press are held prior to deposition on a conveyor belt or belts I4 by which said copies are transferred to a stacker.

It is customary with fly mechanism of this' kind for the copies, as shown in Fig. l, to have their folded edges between the discs and the blades and, for the purpose of stripping the copies from the ily as they reach the desired vposition in relation to the conveyor belt, these folded, leading edges are caused to abut a pair of'xed, laterally aligned stops, one at each side of the fly and indicated diagrammatcally at I5, I5 in Figures 1 and 2. Thus the copies, which are fed in a counter-clockwise direction as seen in Figure 1 until they engage the stops I5, are successively stripped from the fly and deposited on the conveyor I4.

Movement is imparted to `the-conveyor I4 in the direction of the arrow A in Figs. l and 3 so that the copies are deposited on the conveyor in .successively overlapping relationship with their leading and trailing edges normal to the direc- .tion of travel of the conveyor. It is, however, also customary in newspaper and other printing machines to provide mechanism operating in association with the rotary fly to count the copies deposited on the conveyor, such mechanism operating to i-ncline or deflect, for example, the last copy of each quire angularly with respect to the other copies. One known form of counting mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 2 and comprises a kicker lever IB arranged above the conveyor I4 and adjacent one side edge thereof. This count kicker lever is adapted to be actuated, by means which form no part of the present invention, in

indicated at ain Fig. 3. The count kicker lever A I6 is secured on a shaft I'I for rocking movement other side of the mechanism. f The means in accordance with the present invention for indicating to the operator those copies deposited on 'the conveyor which have been spoilt by changing from one-type cylinder or set of cylinders of the non-stop mechanism to the other comprises a lever 20 which, as shown, may be similar to the lever I6 and is pivoted, for example, on the shaft I'I carrying said lever I6. Normally the stop portion 2l of the lever 20, which portion is located forwardly of fthe xed stops I5, is raised, as by means of a spring 22, out of theA path of the leading edges of the successive copies carried by the ily for depositing on the conveyor, while when the impression and type cylinders are relatively moved to produce achange in the printed matter, the lever is lowered at the appropriate time to engage the spoilt copies and cause them to assume an angularly offset position on the conveyor relative to the previously deposited unspoilt and count copies, as shown at b in Fig. 3.

The lever 20 is carried in a bracket 23 which is loose on the shaft I'I and to which is pivotally connected one errd of the armature 24 of a solenoid 25 pivotally mounted at 2B, the spring 22 being interposed under compression between the other end of said armature and a fixed abutment. The solenoid is arranged to be actuated to lower the stop portion 2I into operative position v.after a. predetermined interval of time following commencement of the change from one type cylinder to the other. 'I'hus the time occupied by copies leaving the non-stop unit, which may be required to travel some distancee in reaching the fly mechanism is compensated for so that all spoilt copies but no unspoilt copies are angularly inclined on the conveyor. This time lag in the operation of the lever 20 may be effected electrical-ly by the interposition in the circuit of the solenoid 25 of a slow-acting relay (not shown) of any known kind, by which immediate closing of the solenoid circuit is prevented. Alternatively, this slow-acting relay may, if desired, be replaced by a fluid dashpot which operates either onthe lever or on a movable Contact in the solenoid circuit. In either case the time lag may be adjusted to compensate for variations in the speed of the press.

The time lag in the operation of .the lever 2B may, however, be produced mechanically. As shown in Fig. l. the bracket 23 is formed with an 'elongated slot 2T within which rides a pin 28 secured to the solenoid armature, With the kicker lever in the inoperative position shown in broken lines, the pin 28 is located inthe lower end of the slot 21 and, on energization of the solenoid, rides along the slot until it engages the upper end thereof. Thereafter continued movement of the solenoid armature rocks the lever 20 into the ,full line pcsitionto locate the stop por.- tion 2I thereof in the path of the copies on the fly and the time occupied by these idle and operative movements corresponds to that taken by the rst spoilt copy leaving the non-stop printing mechanism to reach stripping position on the fly. When the change has been completed and the solenoid cle-energized, the spring 22 returns the pin 28 to the lower end of the slot 21, this being an idle movement susbtantially corresponding in duration to the idle movement in the opposite direction, and continued movement of the armature then raises the lever into the inoperative position, by which time the rst of the following unspoilt copies is on the iiy in a position to be stripped therefrom.

'I'he slot 21 may, as shown, be of xed length but its length is preferably variable to compensate for variations in the speed of the press as by means, for example, of an adjustable stop (not shown) tting within the upper end thereof.

Fig. 4 shows a further arrangement for introducing a time lag in the operation of the lever 2U. As shown, the shaft |1 carries a pair of discs 3B, 3| one of which has secured thereto a friction ring 32 in facial engagement with the other disc. The disc 30 is secured to the shaft I1 for angular movement therewith, while the other disc 3| is anchored against rotary movement, having for this puropse a radial extension 33 formed at its end with a collar 34 loosely surrounding the shaft supporting the solenoid 25 whereby the free movement of the disc 33 and the stripper arm 20 is retarded in each direction of its movement. The retarding effect of this mechanism on the shaft |1 during its rotation may be controlled by varying the opposing pressure of the discs in any appropriate or convenient manner thereby varying the braking effort exerted by the discs and 3| in opposition to the force developed by the solenoid armature 24.

Instead of deflecting the spoilt or waste copies so that they occupy, with relation to the unspoilt copies, an angularly displaced position on the de` livery conveyor, the spoilt copies may be separated entirely from the unspoilt copies prior to reaching the fly. To this end and as shown in Fig. 5, sheet guides 35 are provided between the fly and a pair of folding-olf rollers 35, 31. Those sheet guides are carried by arms 38 secured to a rotatable shaft 39 journalled in the machine frame. Also secured to the shaft is a forked lever 4D which is coupled as by a pivotal connection 4| to a rod 42 sldably journalled in bearings 43, 44 on the machine frame. The rod 42 forms or is coupled to the armature of the solenoid 45 secured to a bracket 46 carrying the bearings 43, 44 this solenoid being arranged to actuate the rod and thereby move the sheet guides 35 between the operative position (shown in full lines) and the inoperative position (shown in broken lines), and vice versa, in timed relation to a change in the late news or other matter printed by the nonstop mechanism, thereby to ensure that all unspoilt copies are fed to the fly whilst all spoilt copies are deiiected away from the fly, as shown at y in Fig. 5. The extent of angular movement of the arms 38 and shaft 39 is determinedby a pair of collars 41, 48 pinned on the rod 42 and respectively engageable with the bearings 43, 44. The spoilt copies illustrated at y may be collected by another conveyor (not shown) moving for example, in the opposite direction to the conveyor When the solenoid is de-energized, the rod 42 will return the sheet guides 35 to the inoperative position under the action of a spring 49 coiled copies deiiected by the guides 35. This gap will be noticed by the operator, Who will thus be able to distinguish these copies produced before and after the change.

The solenoid 2'5 and 45 of the embodiments hereinbefore described is suitably connected in the control circuit of electric motor by which relative movement of the type and impression cylinders of the non-stop unit is customarily-effected. For example, where the impression cylinder of such unit is movable into and out of printing engagement with one or other of a pair of l stationary type cylinders or sets of cylinders as described in British specification No. 9,169 of 1942, the solenoid is connected in the control circuit of the motor for moving said impression cylinder. It will be clear, therefore, that immediately relative movement of the type and impression cylinders to elect a change in the printed matter is initiated, the solenoid 25 isenergised and, after a predetermined interval of time just suicient to allow all unspoilt copies to reach the delivery conveyor, will move the kicker lever 20 so that the stop portion 2| thereon is positioned in the path of the spoilt copies to offset the latter on. said conveyor while, when the change has been completed, the solenoid will be de-energized and, after a similar interval of time, the spring 22 will return the lever to the inoperative position. In the case of Fig. 5, similar delayed movement will be imparted to the arms 38 carrying the sheet guides.

The attention of the operator to the presence in the machine of spoilt copies resulting from a change in the matter printed by the nonstop mechanism may be ensured by means of visual or audible signalling means connected in the circuit of the solenoid 25 or 45.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

In a delivery mechanism for a printing machine having a late news or like printing unit involving the spoiling of certain copies, the combination with a rotary ily, a conveyor, stripper means and a count kicker lever adapted to position count copies on said conveyor in angular displacement relative to other copies thereon, of a further lever adapted to position spoilt copies on said conveyor in a position of angular displacement relative to unspoilt copies opposite to said.

rst mentioned angular displacement, said lever comprising a bracket, said bracket being formed with a slot therein, a solenoid adapted to be energized concurrently with a change in the operation of said late news or like unit, the armature of said solenoid being connected to said lever by a pin adapted to slide in said slot, and means of returning said armature to initial position upon said solenoid being de-energized, said armature being adapted to actuate said lever into and out of operative position by means of said pin operating against the respective end surfaces of said slot.

JAMES HENRY EDWARDS. 

